TheMaker

Well, I'm afraid your argument is rooted in a false premise, then. First of all, atheism isn't a convenient tag that exists to offer up an answer to "the big question." It is fundamentally unlike religion in this and most other ways. In fact, many noted scientists, including Stephen Hawking, suggest that asking the question "What came before the Big Bang?" is akin to asking "What lies north of the North Pole?" It simply doesn't make sense to ask it. Based on the nature of your line of questioning, I humbly submit that, like many believers, you are bringing your own substantial baggage to t

Of course he can't. And neither can any man-made god. The difference is that Tyson doesn't pretend to have answers to every question. The scientific community is embodied by two qualities that are wholly absent from every religion I have ever encountered: humility and rigorous analytical process. You're asking a big question. Religion's stance is effectively, "Well, we have the answers, and in death, they will be revealed to you, my child. We have stopped looking, and we are content." Science, on the other hand, is saying to you, "Shit, man, that's really interesting. We are actively looking

My tone is in fact quite weary. When you're one of only a few million people in human history who gauge the world on its face, trust me, you start to feel pretty worn down after interacting with the faithful for any amount of time. You can forgive me for saying so, but watching an entire planet drink the proverbial Kool-Aid isn't exactly my idea of a grand old time. At any rate, atheism is not an evangelical pursuit. I mentioned Neil deGrasse Tyson in my last post; I don't want to put too fine a point on this man's atheism, since he is first and foremost a brilliant astrophysicist, but he ha

When in doubt, make shit up, Jack's War. It worked for some of the greatest minds in history, after all. Neil Degrasse Tyson is one of atheism's most affable spokesmen, and he is a far cry from the angry, smug, and generally miserable Hitchenses and Dawkinses that have become atheism's public face in recent years (but damn, I do love Hitch). It'd be great if the believers in this thread would take a few minutes to watch the video in the above link and consider the intellectual grounds for Tyson's argument. Also, do a YouTube search for Sam Harris and watch him debate theologists for a fe

Ha! This was a cute fan-ficcy episode. A part of me really wants to sketch it up, but I don't have the time to even breathe these days. Boo, hiss!

I've never listened to the Mescaleros more than The Clash, especially immediately following Joe's death, but they were a damned underrated combo. He was doing incredible stuff towards the end of his life, certainly.

Wow, I'm on the losing end of this one, too. I think AGIB is Wilco's weakest album by a nose, and I freaking love the first Loose Fur album. It's so much better than their more incidental follow-up.

All of this, yes. Except "craig."

If everything on BAITUSA were as strong as the first three and very last tracks, it'd get my vote. Alas, I'm tying this contest up with a vote for SBS.

Yeah, you're right. Correcting people's mistakes is such an adolescent thing to do. Look, I make my living from art. It's a hard fucking swath to mow, but I have fun mowing it. I get to draw shit for catalogues and colour comic book pages like the one in my av every day. Believe it or not, there are such things as working artists in the world. Would that I were still in high school; maybe I'd be wise enough to end up doing something with my adult life that's fun AND pays well! Anyway. Jeff says "work in progress" in the video. Ain't my fault you didn't catch on. Be thankful you learne

Holy shit. I don't believe this. Are people actually complaining about this tour not stopping in Chicago? Wilco played Chicago weeks ago, for fuck's sake. Holy crap. Some of you people are like fat little birds with open mouths going caw caw caw all day long. Wow.

Yeah, TOOM is by far my favourite album of the '90s. Possibly my favourite album of my lifetime, actually. It's that or London Calling.

Someone also said that there are no atheists in foxholes. As a very content atheist, trust me when I say with confidence that both men were, and continue to be, dead wrong. P.S., Congratulations on winning the argument using actual logic, Moe. But they'll never get it. Brainwashing runs hard and deep.

AUGH, why are tickets going on sale when I'm tightening my belt to afford first and last month's rent? Whyyyy?! I can't believe I'm fucking saying this, but I have to skip this one. (To any aspiring artists who may be reading this: drop out of school and become a lawyer. Seriously. Your job will be terrible and you will be overpaid to a ludicrous extent, but you will be comfortable at all times.)

Small Change Small Change Small Change I could have treated this more seriously, but such a glaring omission in this thread is worthy of a little overkill on my part, I think.

The generally favourable reviews back up your personal opinion that the album is weak? Yeah, you need to work on that a bit, champ! (Hint: now you link me to the Pitchfork review, because they are the be-all, end-all of critical opinion in the '00s, I'm told, in spite of the fact that the site is inconsistent at best and ignores vast swaths of the musical landscape. Then I ignore you for being so narrow! Don't mind me, I'm just trying to move this along a little faster for the both of us.) I still agree with Rolling Stone: it's their very best record.

This guy's album still bores the paint off me, but I really liked those Dylan and Prine covers. Nice choice of songs, both pretty well played.

Re: Stacks and Flume are really nice songs. The rest is standard guy-with-guitar stuff, press and blogs be damned. This is like Damien Rice all over again, only on a much more microscopic scale and with much more intense critical praise.

Exactly. I find her early records to be arch and stuffy to the point of being nigh unlistenable. Really not impressed by her folk material at all, but The Greatest opened a very, very interesting door for her.

What's weird is that, while I adore both of them and count them among their generation's finest singer-songwriters, I think it's pretty fucking obvious that Jim has a much, much better voice than Matt. (Penance and apology: Matt is the better guitar player.)

Augh, and the fact that it happened in the greatest city on Earth makes it an even blacker eye... sigh... Good luck to the jerkoff who tries selling this stuff, though. He likely won't get far.

This scans, at least based on the evidence presented in this thread. A lot of folks are mentioning Vampire Weekend, and now I'm wondering if I should have included them on my list. No two ways around it, those kids know their way around a song, but I played their album in such heavy rotation that it just kind of grates on me now. Still, they deserve at least an honourable mention.

Haha, clearly the guy who posted the vid isn't an artist (or very observant). It's a WIP, as in "Work In Progress," not "A Whip," as in the title of the song.

Now that there would make a fine DVD. I also thought it was cool that they finished at midnight on the dime. Nicely planned, gentlemen.

Right! Yes! Criminy, I laughed. Nobody can ever accuse this band of not having an extraordinary sense of humour/fun.